Student interest in internships has been rising steadily for several years, and many universities across the nation are taking the rise in popularity into consideration when awarding students with stipends to off-set the cost of a low-paying or unpaid internship. According to a July 19 New York Times article, elite schools such as Yale, Princeton, Duke, and the University of Pennsylvania are making stipends available to students to create internship opportunities for students who would otherwise be forced to work to support themselves.
While the University has a large amount of students receiving some type of financial aid, stipend-based internship programs such as those at other universities are few.
"Internships are definitely on everybody's radar screen as a way to test the waters for skill developing and networking," says Karen Nelsen, director of student services at University Career Services. "Any kind of experiential education is valuable. People are realizing more and more that the hands-on experience with the academic experience is a great thing."
The main challenge to offering stipend-based internships to students is finding funding to back such programs, said Nelsen.
"Institutions are looking for a variety of ways to help students. Some have found alumni funding, or other university funding," Nelsen added.
Several options are available for University students who demonstrate financial need and wish to take part in a low-paying or unpaid internship.
The University Internship Program offers a paid internship program that also provides college credit. The program will admit 250 students in the fall semester, the 30th anniversary of the program, said Nancy Gansneder, Director of the University Internship Program.
"Internships should not only be for the wealthy," Gansneder said. "These [stipend-based] programs are designed to level the playing field, to give a student experience in a non-profit or government organization. In the 30 years the program has been in existence, the number of interns has grown from 35 to 250 this semester, and the summer program consistently has grown from 95 to 110 people."
University Career Services also has programs available to students in need of financial aid for internships.
The Parents Program Internship Grants provide grants so that students can go to unpaid internships, expanding from 10 to 15 students next summer, Nelsen said.
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